Originally Posted by
Steve Whitlatch
This is my first year on a Carbon bike. It does not need to cost an arm and a leg to have a good one. I picked up a barely used Cannondale Supersix Evo High Mod frameset for $450. I had most everything to build it up in my parts bin. I check it over before each ride. I tell myself that in today`s environment, if Carbon bikes were failing catastrophically, the manufacturers would be out of business from all of the law suits. I see way more Carbon fiber being rode hard than I do vintage steel. Mostly old guys like me riding vintage, only going slow.
I was talked into buying and building the frame by a few different people that said "don`t knock it until you try it". Well I am not knocking it anymore. Do I need it? No! I really only need a Huffy if I went by need. The bike is fun to ride. Smoother than any steel I have owned and handles better too. It really feels like a SUPER BIKE! I really wanted to hate it but I can`t.
I am glad you're enjoying carbon. I do as well! My Ridley Damocles (such a great name) is also incredibly smooth--carbon's ability to absorb vibrations is one of its strong suits as we know--yet playful and responsive. The Damocles does nothing wrong, yet since it is not steel or high-performance aluminum (a la Trek Emonda ALR), it lacks that springy-ness inherent to metal. I want to try newer than 2010 carbon (and such not solely built for the pounding Classics cobble rides as the Damocles is) to see how it fares, though hard to justify in a way when a Land Shark absorbs bumps at near-carbon levels while also feeling springy in the climbs and accelerations out of saddle. The Damocles feels truly bomb-proof and dead stable in all scenarios. And with a frameset 200-300g more than the fly-weight carbon stuff, that certainly makes sense.